Report Card
by Ice Bear
Summary: A slightly different ending to '101'


_The ending of 101 really bothered me. Why didn't Deaq go to his partner when the shooting stopped – clearly he was hurt? Why would both men essentially thank Jared when it was his fault Van was taken; and since he didn't call for backup one could well argue it is his fault our boy almost lost his thumb. I just couldn't let it go._

Van helped Jared up before turning to look at Rudy. Deaq was watching his partner. He'd seen Van swing the heavy chair to which he was still handcuffed. "Van – you need some help there dawg?" Something was off, but he wasn't sure what. "V, you still with me?"

The green eyes were huge and panic stricken, and Deaq wasn't sure his partner even knew he was there, despite the fact they were standing almost face to face. Jared handed him a cuff key, and he slowly reached over and undid the cuff – freeing his partner from the chair. His eyes caught on the blood slicked arm of the chair with the bloodied, closed cuff attached.

"Jesus," he whispered. He stood frozen for a long moment of indecision. "Van," he called as he swung himself away from the chair, only to see his partner walking away. "I need some help over here partner."

Van, left hand still tucked tightly under his right arm, swung awkwardly around. "Deaq?" He questioned finally realizing his partner was in the room.

"Can you help me over here Van?" Deaq didn't dare move, afraid he would spook his battered friend.

Van moved unsteadily to Deaq's side, his eyes bouncing around the room as though he were still expecting Rudy to pop up. Deaq ached to reach out, but he remained still, his eyes trying to convey his concern. "Hey baby, I think the dynamic duo did a number here. What do ya say you let me take care of things for ya?" His voice was warm and soft.

"I'm hurting dude," Van whispered so quietly that Deaq had to lean forward to catch it.

"I got ya partner." Deaq reached out and placed a warm hand on the back of Van's neck and slowly pulled the injured man to him. "I got ya."

Jared came up to the two. "Deaq..."

"Back off," the bigger man growled.

"What?"

"I'll deal with you later." Deaq turned Van and himself slightly away from the rookie. When the uniforms showed up, Deaq carefully led his dazed partner outside, his hand still on Van's neck. He motioned to the medics and talked Van into lying on a stretcher.

"Van, you need to show 'em your hand so they can help, please, for me." He had a hand on Van's chin and kept him focused on his face.

"Hurts."

"I know baby, I know. They'll make it stop hurting, but you need to let them see it."

The green eyes held the dark brown ones. "I'm right here baby, ain't leaving," Deaq said so only Van could hear. The left arm slowly uncurled, and Deaq had to stop himself from reacting to the bloody mess that had once been his partner's hand. "That's it partner, they're going to make you feel better. I promise." He kept Van's face in his hand and talked a steady stream of nonsense until the blood loss, pain, fear and adrenaline letdown hit the injured cop and he passed out. Deaq's hand was shaking as he softly pushed a shock of hair off Van's forehead.

Billy found one of her officers in the ER waiting room an hour later. "How is he?" Her voice was high and tight. She had heard the screams on the phone, and her imagination had spent too much time in overdrive.

"They really messed him up Billy."

"He's gonna be fine, Deaq," Jared said coming up behind Billy. Deaq lunged at the smaller man, hand wrapped tightly around this throat.

"How would you know?" he snarled as he knocked him against the wall. "Where were you when the shooting started huh? While you were out riding around in your bat mobile flying under the radar, I was watching the video from the garage trying to find out what happened to my partner -- and surprise, surprise -- when the bullets started flying there you were playing hide and seek with your car."

"Deaq let him go." Billy ordered quietly.

"I saved him." Jared blurted out.

"Saved him?" Deaq's hand tightened. "You're the one responsible for those psychopaths getting their hands on Van in the first place. What part of the academy lecture on protecting one's partner did you not understand?

"I did save him."

"And when you still had a chance to help him, to protect him, you go all silent. Why didn't you call for backup? We could have gotten there before they...they….Who the hell left it up to you to decide whether my partner lived or died?"

"Let him go Deaq."

"He's the reason Van's in there." Deaq's eyes never left his prey.

"Let him go."

"Anyone here for Van Ray?"

Deaq dropped Jared instantly and turned toward the doctor. The rookie slumped to the floor.

"How's Van?"

"On his way to surgery. I have the best orthopedic surgeon in the state scrubbing up right now. OR waiting room is on the 4th floor – I'll come get you when we're through."

"Please take good care of my partner doc," Deaq's urgency was poignant.

"We will, I promise."

"Damn Billy, why is it we don't listen to Van's read on people. He was right about Shane and he was dead on about rookie cop. I made fun of him – just got a kick out of ragging on him when he went all Joe Friday on the boy – but everything he said – that he was in it for ambition and the gold shield was dead on."

"Cause we don't like to admit that he is a grownup," Billy said with a hint of a smile in her voice. "In our little dysfunctional family, Van is the baby brother. And just like every other family, we don't take him very seriously, and we give him a large ration of shit for no other reason than the fact that he is the baby." She paused for a moment. "Of course we tend to overlook the fact that he is one of the best undercover cops I've ever seen, and he has a stellar arrest record. And he has saved my butt more times then I can count."

Deaq sat quietly by his partner's hospital bed. His eyes were closed as his chin rested on his hands. The doctor had let him in the room six hours ago after they had managed to repair most of the damage done by Rudy the psychopath. "Damn Van, I should have backed you when you told Billy to cut the kid loose. Then maybe I wouldn't be sitting here wondering what to say when you flash me those big green eyes of yours."

He sat his coffee cup down three hours later when Van's head began to thrash back and forth on the pillow. "Easy Van, easy boy. I got you. You're in the hospital V, nobody's gonna hurt you here, I promise." He realized he was rattling in what his partner referred to as his "quiet" voice.

"Deaq?" The green eyes were still huge – probably from the drugs this time, but they sent a shudder through the big man as he saw the pain in the green pools.

"Right here partner. How you feeling?"

"Hurts."

"I'll get the nurse. Probably time for your pain meds anyway."

"Wait." Deaq turned back to the bed. "R…R…Rudy?"

"In a cell. Won't be getting out for a long time. I promise. Same with Randi." The pain and fear in the green eyes made his fists curl as he thought of ways to make the demented couple pay for the pain they had inflicted.

"Jared?"

"He's fine of course." Deaq scoffed his face tightening as he voiced his disgust.

"He saved me." Van whispered, unsure of his partner's reaction.

"No, he's the reason they got a hold of you in the first place. When the shooting started he was playing hide and seek with his car's rear bumper instead of watching your back like he was supposed to. Only reason they got you was cause he flaked out."

"But the warehouse."

"He followed you. Never quite found the time to call it in. If Johnny O hadn't told me about the place….well, I don't want to think about that right now. Let me get your nurse."

Van's eyes followed his partner as he left the room before turning them to his left hand, which was heavily wrapped. From the outline of the wrapping it looked like he still had a thumb, so at least he hadn't given the couple that particular satisfaction.

The next day Deaq grudgingly drove Van to the Candy Store. He didn't really think his partner was ready to be on his own, but the doctor had released him. Deaq figured at least if he was a work, they could keep an eye on him. The bruises on the patient's face and upper chest were just hitting their height of color, and he looked paler then usual. Every time Deaq glanced at him, he had the urge to take him back to the hospital.

Van was asleep on the large red couch late that afternoon when Jared found him. The rookie looked at the bruised face for a moment before reaching over to shake the sleeping man. Van came awake and upright in the same instant, his right hand going behind his back for his gun – only to find he didn't have one. He started to panic until his mind caught up with the fact that he was in the Candy Store. That is when his eyes found the rookie, who had backed away from the couch.

"Jared." He acknowledged, as he pulled his aching right hand into his chest.

"Van, just wanted to see you before I went back to uniform. Thought we should probably talk about what happened." He was confident that his teacher would praise him for his actions in the warehouse.

Van's face was a mask of control as he stared at his pupil. "You just don't get it do you? What were you thinking….oh that's right you weren't thinking."

"That's not true, I was the one…"

Van stopped him. "You were the one that failed to back up his partners and who put them in harm's way. And at the warehouse, if Deaq hadn't found it when he did, you'd be dead." The voice was cuttingly matter of fact.

"I told you that when we are out there, it is all about what we do to keep each other alive. We're all each others got out there. How many arrests we make doesn't mean squat if we don't all come home. This is a team sport Jared, and if you don't want to play on the team: find another game."

"You're just mad cause I'm the one that got the bust. You high and mighty little undercover wonder -- with your fancy cars and your dirty friends." Jared's face was beet red as he began to yell, and he stepped into the older officer's face.

"Your actions could have gotten Deaq and Billy killed. No bust is worth their lives, none." Van's voice was soft as he finished his thought. That seemed to stop the rookie, who took a step back, then turned and left. Van collapsed back down onto the sofa, hugging his bad arm to him.

"You okay V?" Deaq had watched the exchange, but hung back until the younger cop left.

"Yeah, I guess so." Van said dejectedly, his head still down as he rocked slightly back and forth.

"You did good with the kid V; he just isn't smart enough to figure that out yet." Deaq sat beside his partner and put an arm around his shoulder.

"I don't think he listened to one word I said, guess I don't have to worry about being asked to teach at the Academy."

"You're a good teacher Van. I should know, after all I'm your star pupil." That got a reaction, and the bruised face looked up into his, the question clear.

"You've taught me a lot about being an undercover cop, and what it really means to be a partner. I know I don't tell you very often," he laughed, "hell I've probably never told you, but you are a damn good teacher Donovan Ray and as partner's go, well you're the best."

"Now I know that the drugs have taken over," Van said with a small laugh as his eyes searched his partner's once more.

"Nah Van, you fine. But if you try and tell Billy, I will say you were high on pain meds."

"Tell Billy what?" She asked as she joined her two officers.

"That next time some high ranking cop's kid wants in on a bust, we're taking vacation." Van said after sharing a smile with his partner, before they both started to laugh.


End file.
